Tag Archives: Chappaqua Homes

Chappaqua Homes

Builder Sentiment about Multifamily Remains Positive | Chappaqua Real Estate

Leave a reply

Builder and developer sentiment about the multifamily market held steady in the fourth quarter, according to results from NAHB’s  Multifamily Production Index (MPI) released earlier today.

The overall MPI—a composite measure of sentiment about production of low-rent apartments, market-rate rental apartments and condominiums—was unchanged at 54 in the fourth quarter.

MPI table 14Q4

The MPI and each of its components is an index that ranges from 0 to 100, where any number over the break-even point of 50 means that more respondents report conditions are improving than report conditions are getting worse.  The overall MPI has been above 50 for three straight years, indicating that builders and developers, on balance, believe the market has been improving consistently over that time.

Among the components of the MPI, the index for low-rent apartments increased one point to 52, the index for market-rate rental fell two points to 62, and the index for condominiums held steady at 50.

Historically, the MPI has performed well as a leading indicator of  starts in buildings with five or more apartments, often moving one to three quarters in advance of the construction numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

MPI chart 14Q4

An overall MPI of 54 is consistent with NAHB’s view that the multifamily segment of the industry has largely recovered from the downturn, and that multifamily production has now reached a healthy, sustainable level.

For more information, including detailed tables on the components of the MPI, see the web page for NAHB’sMultifamily Production & Vacancy Indices.

 

read more…

 

http://eyeonhousing.org/2015/02/builder-sentiment-about-multifamily-remains-positive/

United States S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index Up 4.3% | Chappaqua Real Estate

Leave a reply

United States S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index 2000-2015 | Data | Chart

Case Shiller Home Price Index in the United States increased to 173.02 Index Points in December of 2014 from 172.94 Index Points in November of 2014. Case Shiller Home Price Index in the United States averaged 154.45 Index Points from 2000 until 2014, reaching an all time high of 206.52 Index Points in July of 2006 and a record low of 100 Index Points in January of 2000. Case Shiller Home Price Index in the United States is reported by the Standard & Poor’s.

      Forecast

United States S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index

 

ActualPreviousHighestLowestDatesUnitFrequency
173.02172.94206.52100.002000 – 2014Index PointsMonthly
2000=100; NSA
The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index measures changes in residential house prices in 20 metropolitan regions in the United States: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Washington D.C. This page provides – United States Case Shiller Home Price Index- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Content for – United States S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index – was last refreshed on Tuesday, February 24, 2015.
read more…
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/case-shiller-home-price-index

Use of Depreciation Deductions in Real Estate and Construction | Chappaqua Real Estate

Leave a reply

Examination of IRS data demonstrates the importance of various depreciation deductions for the construction and real estate sectors. These rules include the Section 179 small business expensing option, bonus depreciation, and normal tax depreciation. The data also illustrate what classes of property are most common, including the 5-year class for construction equipment and apartment property. This information is useful for the industry to consider as discussions of possible business tax reform take place during 2015. Some tax reform plans would increase the use of expensing, while others would extend depreciation periods, in some cases significantly.

 

Claiming deductions for the depreciation of business assets is an important part of most enterprises’ income tax calculation. Tax law permits deductions that allow recovery of the cost of tangible property used for business purposes. These deductions reflect an allowance for the wear and tear of the property. Depreciation deductions also encourage reinvestment into older residential units.

IRS tax data allow us to examine the use of these deductions by class of property and business sector. There are some important limitations however. First, the data examined in this post are limited to businesses organized as C Corporations. Thus, the data do not reflect businesses organized as pass-through entities, such as S Corporations and LLCs, which constitute the majority of real estate-related firms.  Nonetheless, this smaller set of data can be viewed as a sample of the sector, with a bias toward larger businesses that organize as C Corporations.

 

read more…

 

http://eyeonhousing.org/2015/02/use-of-depreciation-deductions-in-real-estate-and-construction/

Home Price Growth and Children’s Education and Earnings | Chappaqua Real Estate

Leave a reply

A recently published paper by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston demonstrates a link between home price gains – and homeownership in general – and the educational attainment and future earnings of children. The paper contributes to the broad academic literature demonstrating the positive social and individual impacts of homeownership.

Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), the authors, economists Daniel Cooper and Maria Jose Luengo-Prado, find that when the homeowners’ children are 17 years-old, a 1 percentage point increase of their parents’ area house prices yields approximately 0.9% higher average annual earnings later in life and 1.5% lower average annual income for renters’ children.

The research also indicates that home price growth when children are aged 17 increases higher education enrollment rates at age 19.

The empirical test used data constructed from the PSID. Individuals’ income data running through 2007 were linked to their parents’ information from when the now-adults were aged 17. The ability to track data over time is a key benefit of panel data like the PSID. This process created a dataset of 892 individuals who had their 17th birthday between 1979 and 1999 and were 25 to 45 years old in 2007.

The statistical test controlled for a variety of factors including parents’ income, education non-housing wealth. The authors also used a number of different house price measures and different ages for the children. The statistical results did not vary substantively given these changes, suggesting the findings are robust.

The paper’s results indicate that homeowning parents are better able to invest in the education of their children. The authors conclude that the statistical findings are consistent with prior research concerning the social and private benefits of homeownership (see Robert Dietz and Donald Haurin [Journal of Urban Economics 2003] for a broad review of homeownership impacts from studies in economics and the other social sciences).

The paper does not provide a firm answer on whether the relationship between housing wealth and future college enrollment and higher earnings of children is due to a wealth effect or eased credit constraints for the homeowners to access financing for education. However, the authors do note that the majority of homeowners increase housing-related borrowing for the first time as their children approach college age, thereby suggesting that the home price effect is related to eased borrowing conditions, which enables more investment in their children’s education

 

read more..

 

http://eyeonhousing.org/2015/02/home-price-growth-and-childrens-education-and-earnings/

 

Preview the Historic Knickerbocker Hotel’s Modern Makeover | Chappaqua Real Estate

Leave a reply

The Knickerbocker, the iconic Beaux Arts hotel originally opened in 1906 by John Jacob Astor IV, is set to reopen next Thursday, and we recently got a tour inside the historic building, where the construction crew is putting in the finishing touches. Though The Knickerbocker is an individual landmark, which means that the facade must be meticulously maintained down to the smallest detail, on the inside practically nothing original remains, and the hotel has received a sleek, modern renovation (to the tune of $240 million) feature a lot ofCarrera marble, gold leaf, and other very high-end finishes. So, while the hotel may not look anything like it did back when in the days when Red Sox owner Harry Frazee met the team’s manager in the cafe to inform him that he was selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees, or when the house bartender invented the martini (depending on who you believe), it will be similarly luxurious. The 330 rooms averaging 430 square feet apiece, will start at around $500-$700 per night.

 

read more…

 

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/02/03/preview_the_historic_knickerbocker_hotels_modern_makeover.php

Down to Earth Farmers Markets | Chappaqua Real Estate

Leave a reply

JAN2014-DTE-E-Mail-Masthead_(722x226pxl)FRESH-2-(1

First-ever INDOOR Ossining Winter Farmers Market Opens Saturday;
Second Week of Mamaroneck Farmers Market Brings Even More Vendors,
including Cheese!

January 8-14th, 2015
DowntoEarthMarkets.com
BrooklynWinterOffer
What’s New, In Season, and On Sale This Week
Opening Day Special:
Buy 2 quarts of any product
& get 1 pint of pickles for FREE
Pickle Licious
SALE: Save $2 when you buy two items incl. Chutneys, Frozen Samosa, Kofta, Saag, & Rajma
Bombay Emerald Chutney Company

 ECOBAGS® – Deeply Discounted for Ossining shoppers
Responsibly-sourced cotton bags, strings bags & more. Excellent reusable alternatives to plastic.
ECOBAGS

Click on a Market to see all vendor and event details…                  


Ossining
​
Saturdays
9:00 am-1:00 pm

Claremont Elementary School
Van Cortlandt Avenue, off of N. Highland (Rte. 9)

 Mamaroneck Winter

Saturdays
9:00 am-1:00 pm

St. Thomas Episcopal Church
168 W. Boston Post Road

Headed to the city? We’ve got markets there, too. CLICK HERE for details. 

Announcements
Mamaroneck
This Saturday, January 10th, visit Bach to Rock, the Music School for students of all ages. They promote that learning to play music should be fun; afterall, it’s called “play” for a reason! The group will bring all sorts of musical instruments to the market for people to explore.

Ossining

It’s here! Join us for Opening Day of the first-ever indoor Ossining Winter Farmers Market. Through March, find all of your favorite vendors – and meet several new ones – at Claremont Elementary School. The school is located on Van Cortlandt Avenue, off of N. Highland (Route 9).
To celebrate the new venue, we’re hosting several special events on Saturday:

9:30 am: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with Ossining Mayor Victoria Gearity, School Superintendent Ray Sanchez, together with elected officials and community advocates.

10 am to noon: Live music by the Shovel Ready String Band! In their words, they play “oldtime, jug band, country, bluegrass and original songs.” They will also have their new CD, Shovel Ready String Band, for sales at the market. We’re excited to host them. You’re going to love ’em.

AND Sharon Rowe, ECOBAGS Founder, will be a Community Table Participant at the market this Saturday. As part of our ongoing Bring Your Own Bag initiative – with the goal to eliminate single-use plastic bags from the market – she’ll sell her company’s beautiful reusable bags at deeply discounted prices.
ECOBAGS is a both a fellow Ossining-based business and certified B Corporation. Welcome, Sharon!

For additional events, visit our Down to Earth Markets Event Calendar.

Stay tuned to all market happenings via our Down to Earth Markets Facebook page
and follow us on Instagram and on Twitter @DowntoEarthMkts.

Rotating* Vendors This Week
*Vendors who rotate through various markets during the season.
They enjoy getting to know many communities. Here’s where to find them this week:
​
Ossining

Bombay Emerald Chutney Company
Nana’s Home Kitchen
OM Champagne Tea – NEW to Ossining!
Taiim Falafel Shack – NEW to Ossining!
Wave Hill Breads – NEW to Ossining!

Mamaroneck

Aroma Coffee – First appearance in Mamaroneck!
Betty Acres Farm/Modern Milkmaid Cheese – First appearance in Mamaroneck!
Christiane’s Backstube
Kontoulis Family Olive Oil
Pika’s Farm Table

Existing home sales collapse 6.1% in November | Chappaqua Real Estate

Leave a reply

Existing home sales in November tumbled 6.1%, the biggest drop since July 2010, down to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.93 million.

This was well below analyst expectations of a 1.1% decline, ending five months of 5 million SAAR sales.

It wasn’t weather – analysts noted that the November weather was mild and should have given a boost to sales.

“While the headlines often point to first-time buyers’ reluctance to enter the market as a catalyst to the sluggish housing recovery, today’s report shows inventory needs to climb before it can support more interested buyers,”Quicken Loans Vice President Bill Banfield said. “As homeowners gain trust in the economy, they will be more comfortable leaving their current mortgage and entering the market, thus driving up inventory to support further demand.”

November’s weakness is broad based, with all four regions showing single-digit monthly declines.

Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, blamed the stock market.

“The stock market swings in October may have impacted some consumers’ psyche and therefore led to fewer November closings,” Yun said. “Furthermore, rising home values are causing more investors to retreat from the market.”

 

read more…

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/32414-existing-home-sales-collapse-61-in-november

 

Make Your Stone House Feel at Home in the Landscape | Chappaqua Real Estate

Leave a reply

Stone is one of the predominant materials used for house exteriors today. Whether your home’s style is colonial, traditional or contemporary,stone lends a timelessness and an organic connection to the earth. But stone homes in the U.S. have historically had an austere look, sitting atop the landscape with little or no connection to their foundation plantings, let alone their gardens.Let’s look at ways to make your stone home feel at home in your landscape.

Eclectic Landscape by Jay Sifford Garden Design
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Consider how to design a purposeful landscape. While foundation plantings of green boxwood and hollies may be the norm in suburbia, Houzzers want and deserve something more. What works for your neighbor’s home may not work for yours. To make your home feel truly at home in your landscape, begin by taking an objective look at its style, siding, coloration and textures.

This house, covered in gray stone and brick in tones of pink and orange, appears to be happily nestled on its lot because careful attention was paid to color and texture. The blue and purple tones of the lyme grass, Russian sage and purple salvia pull from the stone; their verticality speaks to the height of the home. The pink coneflowers pull from and brighten the tones in the brick, while the texture introduced by the blue atlas cedar visually reinforces the texture of the stone.

Rustic Landscape by Carney Logan Burke Architects
Carney Logan Burke Architects
Add boulders. It may at first seem counterintuitive to add more stone to a landscape that surrounds a house of stone, but doing so can ground the home in a meaningful way by visually pulling it forward into the space. Make sure to match the scale of the boulders to the scale of the house. Undersize boulders can look like an afterthought, or worse yet, a weekend DIY project gone awry.

The many boulders in the landscape shown here accentuate the concept of juxtaposition by giving the appearance of deconstruction. Additionally, the water softens the vignette by adding a sense of flow and continuity.

Contemporary Landscape by Avant Garden
Avant Garden
Consider an entry gate or fence. What better place to set the tone for your home than at its entrance? By doing so thoughtfully, you can pull your home’s color, texture and style forward in smaller doses to encourage curiosity, exploration and the sense that your home is a special place. I realize that not all of us have the space or homeowner’s association approval to do such things, but if possible, make that connection by adding an appropriate gate or fence using the same stone.
read more…
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/34334328?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u845&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery5